Best Places For Organic And Local In The Twin Cities

November 8, 2010 12:50 AM

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With the organic movement sweeping the nation, shoppers have started to look a little more closely at organic products, weighing not only the health effects but the environmental and economic effects as well. With the demand for organic AND local growing, here are five places that work hard to get these products in your hands.

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Seward Co-op

In October, Seward joined the Principal 6 (P6) co-operative trade movement to highlight products that are locally grown, come from small farms or producers, and/or come from another co-op or non-profit. If the product meets two of the three criteria, it receives a P6 label and has so far accounted for 38 percent of sales at Seward.

credit: Crystal Grobe

Guse’s Green Grocer

A bright and clean neighborhood grocery store in south Minneapolis, Guse’s stocks fresh produce along with local products such as Thousand Hills beef, Bliss granola, Holy Land, and Callister Farm chickens making it extremely convenient for Kingfield and Lynnhurst residents.

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Mississippi Market Co-op

With not one, but two locations in St. Paul, Mississippi Market focuses on organically grown, locally produced, and minimally processed foods. Local products are clearly labeled and unique items like ramps and morels grace the produce section in the spring.

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Local D’Lish

Another one for those on the west side of the Twin Cities, Local D’Lish, owned by Ann Yin and her husband, Yulin. Local D’Lish carries a wide range of products from local farmers and producers and hosts several indoor markets each winter. Local and organic popcorn, produce, dried beans and sauces can be found at this store.

St. Paul Farmers Market

Farmers markets in the Twin Cities are outstanding and great sources for local and organic, but the St. Paul Farmers Market deserves some praise for reaching outside of St. Paul into other areas of the Twin Cities with their satellite markets in the suburbs, making local and organic accessible to many. Also, all produce sold at St. Paul Farmers Markets must be locally grown and products must be locally produced from local ingredients. Score!

-Crystal Grobe is a local food blogger who writes the WCCO blog, Bite of Minnesota, focusing on fresh and local foods in the Twin Cities area. She is passionate about discovering great food and recipes and enjoys sharing those finds with others. Crystal also blogs at Café Cyan, City Pages and Twin Cities Food Finds where she talks about cooking, food events and restaurants.